LocationsOpening Remarks by Mr James George at the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund Best Practice and Experience Exchange Workshop
November 28, 2023
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in China, James George, delivers opening remarks at the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund Best Practice and Experience Exchange Workshop.
Distinguished guests, colleagues from the United Nations, ladies and gentlemen,
A very good afternoon.
On behalf of UNDP in China, we are very pleased to co-organize today’s workshop with CICETE to exchange valuable experiences with our peer organizations as we work towards together in Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals - globally.
As all of us are aware, in 2015, the global community came together at the United Nations in New York and agreed on the most ambitious global development plan ever conceived – for people and planet – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Commitments, plans, targets and financing were envisioned and pledged for a world that we would leave for our children and future generations.
As we bring 2023 to a close and as we heard at the SDG Summit held in New York with global leaders two months ago - we face a stark situation and at risk of leaving more than half the world behind.
The Sustainable Development Goals -- are in a precarious position.
For the first time in decades, development progress is reversing under the combined impacts of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn, and the lingering impacts of COVID-19.
Sadly, in spite of all the resources, knowledge, technology and financing at hand, the SDG Progress Report released by the Secretary General of the United Nations shows that only 15% of SDG targets are on track.
Even worse, we have stalled or gone into reverse on more than 30 percent of the SDGs.
What happened, you might ask?
To begin with, the COVID-19 pandemic and the triple crisis of climate, biodiversity and pollution are having a devastating impact, amplified by the continued conflicts across the globe.
We now live in an unprecedented period of polycrisis.
This has now resulted in the number of people living in extreme poverty today to be higher than four years ago. Inequalities are at a record high and growing.
Hunger has increased and back at 2005 levels.
Realization of gender equality is estimated to be 300 years away.
At the same time, the climate crisis is escalating.
Projected temperature increases are set to double the targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, surpassing the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees by the end of the century.
To ‘rescue’ the SDGs and chart a new, more sustainable trajectory forward, we need to re-energize our efforts and also begin reassessing our individual and collective efforts.
One thing is however very clear - in order to create a sustainable future for all, we must accelerate our actions and foster collective efforts on a global scale.
No single country can accomplish this alone, and international cooperation and especially south-south cooperation has become more crucial and critical than ever before.
This is why this workshop is critical.
"To ‘rescue’ the SDGs and chart a new, more sustainable trajectory forward, we need to re-energize our efforts and also begin reassessing our individual and collective efforts. One thing is however very clear - in order to create a sustainable future for all, we must accelerate our actions and foster collective efforts on a global scale."
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are gathered here in this room – united by our common commitment, experience and conviction that South-South Cooperation can be a catalyst for sustainable development and prosperity.
As all of us can attest, south-south cooperation has helped bridge gaps and empower developing countries to exchange experiences, share best practices, and implement solutions tailored to their specific development needs.
At the heart of the south-south cooperation approach is also the premise that ultimately the resilience of individuals, communities, institutions and nations that matters.
This will remain the litmus test of our efforts.
On behalf of the organizers, I would like to commend all of you for being tireless advocates of the SDGs, providing technical assistance, substantive support and policy advice to countries around the world.
Your organizations have led the way in promoting partnerships, mobilizing resources, and pursuing the transformative changes needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
Together, we have made significant strides, but there is much more work to be done.
We hope this afternoon’s sessions will enable us to learn, share and discuss insights, best practices and experiences on how we are effectively leveraging south-south cooperation modalities to advance the SDGs.
We too in UNDP have learned from our lessons.
For eamples, at the request of member states and through the implementation by UNDP country offices in 15 countries, and with the support of the GDF, we have been able to support more than 14 million beneficiaries.
Efforts have been undertaken to strengthen institutional and technical capacities; promote peer-to-peer learning; and enhance knowledge-sharing among partner countries and contributed to sustainable development, poverty alleviation, disaster reduction, and COVID-19 response, recovery and resilience building.
We are also pleased to have been working with CICETE to develop an evaluation framework to assess GDF contributions to sustainable development and the SDGs.
I look forward to the experiences shared and fruitful ideas generated from today’s workshop.
Let us that seize this opportunity to learn from one another, identify best practices, and gain mutual inspiration to develop practical approaches to get the SDGs back on track.
By leveraging the power of South-South cooperation, and harnessing the expertise and experiences among each other, we can build a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous world for all and leave no one behind.
In that spirit, I wish you a most productive conference.
Thank you.
